[Note: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Outpost after we published this press release to express concern about the original headline, which included a vaguely naughty, cattle-related euphemism for “nonsense.” The word in question “is not language we would ever use when communicating officially with the public,” Public Information Specialist Samantha Karges said via email. Of course not. The Outpost apologizes for that bullshit.]

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has recently received reports of a “work from home” job offer scam targeting our community.

According to one reporting party, a post recently made on a local Facebook group advertised a remote position with the company Miroculus.  

The original poster of the advertisement falsely identified as an executive with the company and even conducted an interview with the reporting party prior to offering them the position. The scammer advised the reporting party to purchase a newer-model iPhone and send it to them in order to “install software to allow for the remote work.” Thankfully, the reporting party recognized this to be a scam and confirmed with the actual company that this was not legitimate.

While organizations across the country are increasingly offering remote, “work from home”, positions, community members are urged to take caution and fully vet job openings before submitting personal information.  

Keep an eye out for these red flags to see if a remote job offer is legitimate:

  1. The job is too good to be true: The job offers high pay for little or no work.
  2. There is little information on the company online.
  3. A second contact cannot confirm the legitimacy of the job offer: Call the company’s HR department to make sure that they really did send you the offer or really do have that job opening.
  4. There are warnings online: Always research the company and reviews before submitting information.
  5. You’re required to pay upfront for training, certifications, directories, materials, or equipment. 
  6. The employer communicates poorly: Communication with a legitimate employer should not contain spelling and grammar errors or exhibit unprofessional behavior.
  7. The job offer comes from an unfamiliar email address not associated with the company: A legitimate job recruitment email will most likely come from an email address from the specific company.
  8. The company wants you to apply through Facebook or in an unusual way: Most major companies will list their job openings in the “Careers” section of their website. If the position is not listed on the company’s site, it may be a scam.

If you believe you have been exploited by a work from home job scam, you can file a complaint with the FTC online or by calling 877-382-4357. You can also report the scam to the California Attorney General’s Office.

Visit https://humboldtgov.org/2864/Scam-Information to learn more about some of the common scams reported to the HCSO.